Top Glear in Mini Max at GYG

8 July 2010

Adam Glear inflicted two last gasp defeats on Whilton Mill double winner George Russell in rounds five and six of the 2010 Formula Kart Stars Championship to take a narrow points lead ahead of the second half of the season.

Wavertree Motorsport driver Glear and Strawberry Racing's Russell were the class of the field all weekend, setting the fastest times in both timed qualifying sessions and winning all the heats and both finals between them.

With the sun shining over the undulating 1100-metre North Wales circuit on Saturday Russell had the edge over his rivals for most of the day. The reigning MSA Cadet Champion beat Glear by six hundredths to pole position and then led all bar the first lap of heat one en-route to a double victory.

On both occasions Glear was Russell's closest rival, never more than a second behind with Jay Goodwin picking up a pair of third place finishes.

Russell swept into the lead at the start of the 21-lap final with Goodwin initially grabbing second from Glear. It took Glear several laps to get ahead of Goodwin by which time Russell was nearly a second up the road. But Glear managed to stabilise the gap and as the race entered its second half Glear began to close in.

Coming down the hill towards the Carousel on lap 19 Glear made his move, ducking to the inside and taking the lead. For the next two laps Russell tried everything to usurp Glear but Glear remained steadfast and took his second win of the season by just two tenths of a second.

Goodwin completed his day with another third place, just holding off Brett Ward and Bobby Thompson with Welsh Champion Sam Marsh in sixth.

Sunday's weather was a stark contrast to Saturday's with high winds and rain lashing the circuit for the heats before drying out for the finals.

Russell was once again quickest in qualifying from Ward and Jack Mitchell with Glear fourth and Goodwin seventh but then the weather turned and Glear moved into a class of his own.

Russell took the initial lead in heat one but then as he came through the Corksrew-esque Devil's Elbow on lap three his kart inexplicably cut out, dropping him to 25th and allowing Glear to slip through into the lead. Once in front Glear was never headed and he took the win by nearly two seconds from Goodwin with Ryan Norris taking third from Ward late on. Russell recovered to 16th.

Ward took the lead at the start of the second heat with Glear slotting into second. Russell held third with the rest dropping away but when Glear made his move on Ward for the lead Russell was unable to go with him and couldn't prevent Glear from sailing home by one and a half seconds. Ward took second on the road but was adjudged to have jumped the start and was penalised one place, which promoted Russell into second even though he finished nearly five seconds behind.

With the track dry for the final the expected battle between Glear and Russell didn't disappoint even though Russell was starting eighth. That became seventh when Goodwin retired on the rolling lap and after a steady opening lap Russell began clinically dispatching his rivals.

As Glear overcame early race leaders Ward and Seth James to take the lead Russell passed Josh White, Oliver Myers, George Li Wright, Ward and James to move into second place, which became first on lap 15 after a thrilling chase on Glear.

But rather than lose his cool Glear stayed in Russell's wheel tracks until the very last corner when he forced Russell to defend, which made him run wide on the exit and allowed Glear to out drag him to the line for the win.

Devastated by the loss Russell also had to cope with the fact that he lost his points lead to Glear in the process but with six rounds remaining and just a handful of points separating them at the head of the table there is still all to play for over the second half of the season.

Behind the top two Ward wrestled third from Norris on the final lap with Myers and James completing the top six.